Dash hole - replace or cover?

[niggtv]

Hi all,

I've just picked up my new (well, 2005!) A3 2.0T FSI Sportback . Unfortunately it has a nasty looking factory phone install. I'd hoped that there might just be a small hole behind it that I could put a discrete rubber grommet in it, but unfortunately when I took the cover off I could see that there's a largeish rectangular hole and two fitting screws.

Does anyone know if Audi does a blanking plate for this, or is the only option to replace the dashboard? The dashboard looks like it might be a bit of a pig to replace!

Cheers

 

[niggtv]

 

[Geraldy212]

Perhaps you could modify it to hold a GPS unit? Just an idea.

 

[hades-]

god knows why audi did it this way
no blanking plate
i used a guy in nottingham to do 1 for me
and it looked 99% perfect

 

[niggtv]

god knows why audi did it this way
no blanking plate
i used a guy in nottingham to do 1 for me
and it looked 99% perfect

Sorry, to do what? Make a cover?

 

[niggtv]

Thanks Geraldy212, but would prefer not to have anything sticking out there if at all possible!

 

[hades-]

no to repair the dash

 

[phil76]

Mine has this and they dont do the phone cradle for mine,i was pretty gutted when i went to view the car but it doesnt bother me now to be honest to the point i dont notice it.i would try and live with it as even though as mentioned some smart repairers can do it no trouble some of the materials used in cosmetic repairs dont age like the material on the dash board would.

 

[niggtv]

Yeah, I guess I'll get used to it if I have to! I did consider removing and replacing the whole dash, but based on a bnit of a serach on here, it looks like a bit of a ball-ache of a job.

Another option might be to make my own blanking plate – I’d probably use the cradle as a starting point but don’t want to balls it up and end up with no cradle, no blanking plate, and a hole in my dash!

Does anyone have an old cradle lying around?

 

[Yolo_8p3]

just replace your dash mate you can pick up dashes on ebay for around 150 and then a couple of hours work i did mine couple of days ago

 

[niggtv]

just replace your dash mate you can pick up dashes on ebay for around 150 and then a couple of hours work i did mine couple of days ago

Cheers - was it not too bad a job then? I assume there's a need to know what order to do it in - not investigated properly yet but I couldnt see obvious screws!

Did you chuck your cradle? I'm tempted to have a go with one, even as a temporary fix until I get round to replacing the dash.

Thanks

 

[Yolo_8p3]

My dash was damaged mate so had to replace it but to be honest I thought it would have been a lot harder but wasn't just plenty 8mm bolts :thumbup: